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How About a Civilized Cab, Please, Driver
The days of the old Checker cabs, purposely built to be taxis, are long gone. Most American cabs today are old Ford Crown Victorias and Chevrolet Caprice Classics — often used police cars — retrofitted with meters and internal barriers. Londoners are used to better. Their typical cab — tall, square and shiny black — was designed to be a cab. It is dignified and comfortable, and it accommodates enough luggage for a modest grand tour and a wheelchair or two, as well. It's the "civilized taxi," according to the Web site of London Taxis of North America, a Boston-area company trying to supplant the tired taxis of the United States and Canada with new British models. Larry Smith, an entrepreneur in Sudbury, Mass., founded the company in 2000 and has exclusive rights from London Taxis International in Coventry, England, the major maker of London cabs, to market and distribute its taxis in the United States and Canada. He said this month that he had orders so far for nearly 70 of the cabs, from taxi and livery companies in Toledo, Ohio; Naples, Fla.; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Sun Valley, Calif.; and Ottawa. Mr. Smith said he was working to meet American environmental and safety regulations, and he expected to receive his first taxis from Coventry by December. Since World War II, London taxis have earned a reputation as the world's finest. They have roomy, comfortable passenger cabins with high ceilings and more leg room than a first-class airplane seat. The high ceilings are a holdover from 19th-century English laws that required horse-drawn hackney carriages to have enough room for gentlemen wearing top hats. The newest models have doors that open 90 degrees for easy entry, fold-out ramps for wheelchairs, built-in toddler seats and seats that slide out onto the sidewalk to help elderly or handicapped passengers get in and out. The passenger cabin has its own heating and air-conditioning controls so customers can be in charge of the environment. An interior intercom system allows clear communication between driver and passengers. The driver's seat is designed to be comfortable and offer the correct ergonomic support for someone who has to sit in it for 10 hours a day. So why haven't American cab companies jumped to get these vehicles on the roads here? The obvious answer is price. Though the London taxis are designed to last for at least 500,000 miles and have fuel-efficient diesel engines and simple and durable parts to save on repairs, the initial cost to buy one is between $40,000 and $45,000. A used Crown Victoria may go for as little as $5,000. Scott Shaffer, president of City Cab in Los Angeles, says he can purchase two new Crown Victorias for $12,000 with the help of government subsidies for new cabs that meet current emissions standards. "The cost is an impediment to saturating the market," says Mr. Shaffer, who has nonetheless placed an order with Mr. Smith's company for six London taxis to add to his 400-taxi fleet. "I'd love to have 10 percent of my fleet be London taxis," he said. "They are unique and eye-catching. It will set me far apart from the competition." Mr. Smith is not the first to try selling London cabs to Americans. But he is optimistic that he can succeed where others have failed. A former mechanical engineer at General Electric, he amassed a small fortune from Finagle a Bagel, a chain of bagel shops he built in the Boston area. He sold out in 1998. Two years later he stepped into a London taxi outside Heathrow Airport and, as he tells it, knew immediately that he wanted to sell these cars in North America. He is not predicting the demise of the American taxi, but he believes he can sell enough cabs to taxi and livery operators so that they'll become familiar and then begin to help sell themselves. Of course, Mr. Smith has not forgotten New York City, the cab capital of the world, but he wants to refine his products and methods before he takes on Manhattan. He expects to make his move in three years. "We don't want to fail in New York," he said.FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Action on Aging distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
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merican
taxicabs can shock unsuspecting Londoners. Riding into Manhattan from
Kennedy International Airport at rush hour, they're likely to find
themselves cramped in the back seat, knees pressed against an ugly metal
barrier, with seat belts buried under the seat cushions, air-conditioning
too low or heat too high and bags crunched into the trunk.